The Highlanders take on the Crusaders in a southern derby at Forsyth Barr Stadium this Friday night and there is hope the game could be sold out.
As of late yesterday, more than 19,000 tickets had been sold for the match and there was huge demand for tickets yesterday.
Highlanders chief executive Roger Clark said the tickets for the game have been steady for the past couple of months.
But since both teams won over the weekend - the Crusaders beat the Reds, and the Highlanders defeated the Chiefs - tickets had become sought after.
He said there were about 2500 tickets left for the two main stands. Tickets had also been popular in the Zoo section and there were only about 2000 left, and they were going fast.
The capacity of the stadium was about 23,000 and Clark was hopeful all tickets would be sold for the clash.
"We are hopeful we can get as close as possible to a sell-out. There is a lot of interest in this game and people seem to be very, very excited about it,'' Clark said.
The Highlanders have the ability to track where the tickets are being sold and Clark said many tickets have gone to people north of the Waitaki River.
"You are probably looking at having 5000 to 6000 fans coming down from Canterbury for the game. So we have to make sure the Highlanders are fully supported. Almost drown them out.''
The franchise was attempting to get everyone in behind the team by having a special "Landers'' day on Friday.
It had been in contact with schools and sponsors to get people to dress in Highlanders gear and was hoping many would do the same.
It was looking like a huge game, as the teams clash for the only time this season.
"You have got two sides who are obviously in form and on top of their game so it is shaping as a very exciting game.''
The game in Hamilton last Saturday night was just a few seats short of a sell-out, with a crowd of 23,396 at FMG Stadium.
Installing seats at the Otago Daily Times end of the ground was not an option as it would take too long to put up and the financial return was not high enough.
The seats would be installed for next month's test between the All Blacks and Wales.
Clark said despite questions over the integrity of the competition and the competitiveness of some games, crowds attending New Zealand derby games were actually on the increase.
He said crowds for these games were up 20% on last year and television ratings for these matches had also increased by the same rate.
